Konan stared at Shigure before her, then quickly swept her gaze across the surroundings.
Such terrifying Water Release…
In an instant, water currents had condensed into razor-sharp blades, cleanly severing every tree around them.
All cover was erased.
At the same time, the open space made it far more difficult for her paper techniques to ambush him.
Konan frowned.
The next moment, the paper drifting beside her folded automatically, rapidly shaping into shuriken that shot straight toward Shigure.
Shigure calmly raised his hand.
Several water droplets shot out like bullets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The paper shuriken were intercepted midair—and detonated immediately.
They were shuriken formed from explosive tags.
Yet the explosions didn't so much as ruffle Shigure's clothes.
"Still resisting?" Shigure said lightly.
"That's not a very wise decision."
In the next instant, more paper burst from the smoke, surging toward him from all directions.
Without question—more explosive tags.
Shigure let out a helpless chuckle as a chilling aura spread outward.
Instantly, every paper fragment suspended in the air froze solid, transforming into ice crystals.
They fell lifelessly to the ground, shattering into countless shards upon impact.
The cold swept through the battlefield.
Flames from the explosions vanished instantly.
The black smoke dissipated in the blink of an eye.
Ice rapidly spread across the ground, and snowflakes began drifting down from the sky.
The temperature plummeted.
Konan's breath turned white as she exhaled.
A trace of shock appeared in her eyes as she stared at Shigure.
What kind of ninjutsu is this…?
In a single moment, he had altered the surrounding temperature entirely.
Looking at the ice crystallized across the battlefield, Konan suddenly realized something.
His earlier Water Release attacks—
They hadn't been random.
They were preparation.
From the very first move, he had already calculated this outcome.
A terrifying man…
"Paper, hm?" Shigure mused.
"It's an interesting technique."
"But when it comes to hardness…"
"Snow should be superior, don't you think?"
As his voice fell, countless snowflake-shaped shuriken shot forward.
They formed a dense storm, forcing Konan to retreat rapidly.
But there were too many.
No matter how she dodged, she couldn't evade them all.
A sharp pain tore through her shoulder as blood splashed against the snow.
Her body swayed.
At that moment, Shigure extended his hand and reached directly toward her.
Konan tried to retreat—but her body refused to respond.
She lowered her eyes.
Her legs were frozen solid to the ground.
When she looked up again, it was already too late.
Shigure's hand closed around her throat.
"It's over."
Terror surged through Konan's eyes.
So easily…?
Even against an elite jōnin, she would never have been defeated this quickly.
Yet Shigure had subdued her in less than ten seconds.
Is this why Obito insisted we avoid fighting him head-on…?
This man—
He was on an entirely different level.
Shigure looked at Konan closely.
Only now did he truly notice her beauty—cold, composed, and distant, carrying an unmistakable air of aloofness.
Ice continued to creep upward from her feet, frost spreading toward her waist.
The cold invaded her body relentlessly.
Seeing the strain in her expression, Shigure smiled faintly.
"I warned you earlier," he said calmly.
"If you hadn't resisted, none of this would have happened."
Just as Shigure was about to question her—
A strip of paper flashed across the edge of his vision.
In the next instant, Shigure sighed softly—
And released his grip.
Ice crystals rapidly condensed on Shigure's right side, forming a solid barrier.
Boom!
The sudden explosion failed to break through the ice, but it created just enough of an opening for Konan to escape.
Even so, she was still affected by the blast.
Her appearance became noticeably disheveled as she steadied herself.
"Not bad," Shigure said calmly. "You even prepared a contingency."
He dispelled the ice barrier and fixed his cold gaze on her.
"What's next?"
"If I can catch you once," he continued lightly,
"then I can catch you a second time."
Konan raised her hands and formed seals.
"Paper Clone Jutsu!"
Figures identical to Konan appeared one after another. The moment they formed, they rushed straight toward Shigure.
Shigure casually lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.
Each clone froze solid instantly—but in the next moment, they detonated.
The frozen paper shattered as explosions erupted.
Amid the black smoke, Konan activated her true technique.
Paper Person of God Dance.
Countless sheets of paper fluttered and converged, reconstructing her body in midair.
This state was similar to elemental transformation—much like the Water Transformation Technique.
Shigure watched calmly as Konan's arm elongated, forming a sharp paper spear that thrust violently toward him.
Clang! Bang!
Shigure shifted his footing. The spear pierced deeply into the ground, cracking the earth.
After being infused with chakra, Konan's paper weapons possessed terrifying penetrative force.
In response, Shigure condensed a blade of ice crystals and slashed forward, severing the paper spear in one clean strike.
Boom!
The severed paper weapon exploded in midair, releasing thick black smoke that obscured Shigure's vision.
At the same moment, shards of ice burst out from within the smoke, detonating beside Konan.
The fragments from the shattered ice crystals carried tremendous destructive power.
Fortunately, Konan dispersed her body into paper once more, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Her form reassembled in midair, but it was incomplete, wavering slightly.
"Got you."
Shigure's voice suddenly sounded behind her.
A palm strike slammed into Konan's back.
However, the instant the attack landed, her body dissolved into paper once again.
She reformed at a distance, retreating rapidly.
At this point, Konan's expression had grown grim.
Shigure's speed was overwhelming, and his attacks were far too sharp.
If this continued, defeat was inevitable—and capture might follow.
Just as anxiety surged in her heart, a figure suddenly appeared between her and Shigure.
Zetsu.
"Lord Mizukage of Kirigakure," Zetsu said calmly,
"how about we have a talk?"
The moment she saw Zetsu, Konan understood.
Her body instantly transformed into paper and vanished.
Shigure glanced at her disappearing form, then lowered his gaze to Zetsu.
"And what if I refuse?"
In the next instant, Wood Release vines erupted from the ground, tightly coiling around Shigure's body.
Shigure frowned slightly.
Cold air surged outward.
The vines froze solid instantly.
With a simple twist of his body, Shigure shattered the frozen restraints and stepped free.
"As expected," he said lightly,
"it couldn't hold me."
Zetsu felt his scalp tingle.
He hadn't expected Shigure to break through Wood Release so effortlessly.
This man truly was a monster.
"The Akatsuki have no intention of becoming enemies of Kirigakure," Zetsu said cautiously.
"How about we call this even?"
Shigure smiled faintly.
"That's probably not possible."
"You want to collect the Tailed Beasts," he continued calmly.
"And you want the Three-Tails sealed inside me."
"Unless you abandon that plan, we can only be enemies."
Zetsu sighed softly.
"That can be discussed."
"Didn't Lord Shigure help others escape their Tailed Beasts without fatal consequences?"
"With your abilities, you should also be able to extract your own Tailed Beast painlessly."
"Perhaps… we could cooperate."
Shigure finally understood.
So this was their real intention.
Buying time for Konan's escape—
And testing whether he could be persuaded.
(End of Chapter)
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